Readability of online material related to skin cancer.

OBJECTIVES: The key to reducing mortality from skin cancer depends on early detection and treatment, which, in many cases, means a patient should be informed and possess the self-efficacy necessary to seek expert opinion. The purpose of this study was to determine the readability of skin cancer materials on the Internet using the commonly used readability tests. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study. METHODS: A search was conducted using the key words 'skin cancer.' The first 15 pages of websites that contained English language articles on skin cancer comprised the sample for this study. All English language articles appearing on these websites were analyzed using the Readable.io service to automate popular readability scores. For each article, it was determined if it was generated from a .org, .com, .gov, .net, .edu or other source. Five readability tests were conducted on the materials to determine the ease with which one can read each article. RESULTS: Of the 102 websites sampled, none received an acceptable score on all five assessments. In fact, more than 90% of the websites sampled received an unacceptable score on any one of the five assessments, and more than 78% of the websites sampled received an unacceptable level on all five assessments. All five readability assessments demonstrated statistically significant results; each P-value obtained from the t-tests was substantially below 0.01 and, hence, below the α = 0.05 threshold. These results indicate that it is unlikely that skin cancer websites are being written at the recommended level. Of the websites sampled, roughly 42% were .com, and slightly more than 36% were .org. Statistical evidence indicated that neither .com nor .org websites are likely to be written at the acceptable level. CONCLUSIONS: Both for-profit and non-profit agencies which aim to provide health information to consumers should be mindful of the readability levels of the materials they disperse.

[Resection of metastatic nondifferentiated carcinoma of sternum with thoracic wall reconstruction and simultaneous myocardial revascularization for ischemic heart disease--case report]. / Resekce sterna s rekonstrukcí hrudní steny pro metastázu nediferencovaného karcinomu v kombinaci s revaskularizací myokardu pro ischemickou chorobu srdecní--kazuistika.

Authors offer the case report of a patient with metastatic non differentiated carcinoma of sternum simultaneously suffering from ischemic heart disease. The patient underwent actinotherapy & hyperthermia followed by resection of sternum and coronary artery bypass grafting in one session. Chest wall defect was closed by means of latissimus dorsi muscle rotation. Postoperative palliative chemotherapy started 16 weeks postoperatively. Primary tumor was not found, neither preoperatively nor during the 36 months' postoperative remission.

Reversible phagocytosis in rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

We have studied the fate of inert phagocytized particles in rabbit neutrophils. Neutrophils release significant quantities of preingested oil emulsion. Roughly 50% of an ingested load is released in 40 min at 37 degrees C. By electron microscopy the process of release appears to be by exocytosis: particles appear extruded through a network of processes often accompanied by membranous vesicles. Exocytosis is temperature and glucose dependent but unlike phagocytosis does not require divalent cations. From Coulter counter measurements virtually the entire cell population appears to undergo the phagocytosis-exocytosis sequence. Neutrophils undergoing exocytosis remain intact as determined by direct counts, electron microscopy, and absence of lactate dehydrogenase release. Moreover, by sequentially feeding differently labeled particles, it is shown that the processes of phagocytosis and exocytosis can occur concurrently. Indeed, it is found that ingestion accelerates release. The implications of these phenomena for membrane recycling, lysosomal enzyme release, and the killing of microorganisms are briefly discussed.

Changes in membrane microviscosity associated with phagocytosis: effects of colchicine.

The effects of phagocytosis on plasma membrane microviscosity were studied by fluorescence depolarization techniques. It was shown that lipophilic probes are accumulated in intracellular vesicles to a significant degree in fibroblasts and neutrophils. Microviscosity was thus determined from the behavior of probes in isolated membranes. Phagocytosis of oil emulsions or polystyrene beads by rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes induces a marked decrease in plasma membrane microviscosity that parallels the extent of phagocytosis. Liposomes made from extracts of membrane lipid show qualitatively the same changes, indicating that the alteration of microviscosity results at least in part from changes in lipid composition. The decrease in microviscosity is abolished when colchicine is present during phagocytosis. Addition of colchicine to membranes previously isolated from control or phagocytic cells has no effect on their microviscosity. The results suggest that phagocytosis is accompanied by a microtubule-dependent reorganization of membrane lipids.